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Green Cleaning Page |
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Information & Recipes Let’s open up those windows and let the fall breezes ventilate all of those nasty VOC’s out of our homes… VOC’s are Volatile Organic Compounds produced largely in part due to our Household Cleaners, Aerosol Sprays, and Disinfectants, among other things. According to the EPA, the inside of our homes, where we spend the majority of our time, can be up to 10 times more polluted than the outdoors. Exposure can create short and long term health issues including allergies, asthma and more serious risks including death. The 2006 Annual Report of the American Association of Poison Control Center’s National Poison Data System reveals that Household Cleaning Substances, Personal Care Products, Household Chemicals, and Topical Preparations were the cause of 24.3% (584,756) of their reported incidents. According to another EPA report, Toxic Chemicals in Household Cleaners are three times more likely to cause cancer than air pollution. When it comes to Household Cleaners, we have very viable options with excellent side benefits. Cleaning with natural ingredients and pure Essential Oils is simple, less or non toxic, inexpensive, responsible, and fun! With just a few common ingredients you can clean almost anything effectively. Firstly, don’t throw all of those single use commercial cleaners in the trash! They need to be disposed of properly, see their various warning labels for proper disposal practices, or give them to someone who would buy them anyway.
Liquid Castile Soap (Murphy’s Oil Soap works or we carry a natural castile in the shop): Castile used to mean any soap made from all Olive Oil, but that is no longer always the case. It can be any vegetable oil based soap. It cleans almost anything! Sodium Bicarbonate (aka Baking Soda found in grocery stores): All purpose and non toxic. Cleans, removes stains, deodorizes, and gently scours without being overly abrasive. Salt (found in Grocery Stores): Scours and softens water. Vinegar (found in Grocery Stores, white works best for cleaning): Softens water, cuts grease and removes stains Sodium Carbonate (aka Soda Ash or Washing Soda found in here in the shop, in grocery store laundry sections as Washing Soda or pool cleaning stores as Soda Ash, just make sure it’s 100% Soda Ash!): Softens water, cleans laundry, cuts grease, disinfects, and is an effective soap booster. Sodium Borate (aka Borax found in grocery stores as 20 Mule Team Borax): Deodorizes, disinfects, removes stains, kills bacteria and mold and is a soap booster. Borax can be used in place of bleach. Borax is a natural mineral but does come with some safety concern and should be kept out of the reach of children and pets. Essential Oils (found here in the shop): Antiviral, Antibacterial, Disinfectant, and they smell wonderful making cleaning fun, really! The following Essential Oils are some that are good for cleaning: Orange, Lemongrass, Peppermint, Lavender, Lemon, Lime, Ravensare, Rose, Lavandin, Clove, Eucalyptus, Cinnamon, Birch, Thyme, Rosemary, and Tea Tree.
Always check your manufacturer’s guidelines prior to using handmade cleaners. Spot test each new surface prior to cleaning with a new cleaner. For instance, granite may be best cleaned with just a water, liquid soap and EO mix or the Window & Surface Spray. Some stubborn cleaning jobs may require application of the cleaners and a little time to work, then come back and finish the job, or a second application. For water in your recipes, use Distilled Water or boil your water for 15 minutes rapidly prior to use to kill any bacteria. Without emulsifiers, essential oils may float at the top of your recipe; simply give a gently roll of the bottle prior to use to mix and/or adjust the amount of essential oils used. You can always do a search on the internet for natural cleaning recipes and find a plethora of additional information. If you prefer, many stores carry green cleaning supplies already mixed for you including our shop. Beware however of words like “biodegradable, eco, non toxic, hypoallergenic, fragrant free, natural, all natural” and the like as they are relatively meaningless, read the ingredients to be sure of what you are purchasing, nasty items are found in things as simple as fragrance or colorant or most alarmingly: not put on labels at all (considered “proprietary information”), call the manufacturer if concerned or better yet, just make your own! And if you don’t have the time or desire to clean green on your own, there are many cleaning services willing to use green cleaning, just ask… Happy Cleaning... Small and simple acts make a BIG difference!
Soft Scrubbing Wash 1/4 c. Baking Soda (or 1/8 c. Baking Soda and 1/8 c. Borax) Liquid Castile Soap (enough to make a frosting like or desired consistency) 5-10 drops of Essential Oils Mix enough Liquid Castile Soap into Baking Soda to form a paste and add essential oils as desired. Alterations: add a small bit of vinegar to cut grease. Use a squirt bottle (recycle a purchased one if possible). Shake to mix prior to use.
Air Freshener/Anti Bacterial Spray/Deodorizer 2 c. Distilled Water 2T. Baking Soda 2T. Vinegar 10 drops Essential Oils Add all to spray bottle and mix.
Air Freshener #2 Simmer a pot of water with Essential Oils, fruit peels, herbs, or spices like cinnamon, clove, or rosemary, mint…
Air Freshener #3 Simply fill sink about 4 inches with hot water, plug and add 5-10 drops of essential oils. I do this twice a day, and it’s lovely!
Window & Surface Spray ¼ c. Vinegar 32 oz. Distilled Water ½ tsp Liquid Castile Soap 15-30 drops of Essential Oils (Peppermint is especially great for Window Spray) In a spray bottle combine and mix the vinegar and water first then add the soap and oils, gently mix.
All Purpose Cleaner ¼ c. Distilled hot water 2 tsp Borax ½ tsp Washing Soda ½ tsp Liquid Castile Soap Additional Cold Distilled water to fill spray bottle 15-30 drops Essential Oils In spray bottle mix Borax and Washing Soda in hot water, fill with remaining cold water, add essential oils and Castile, gently mix.
Mildew Spray ½ c. Vinegar ½ c. Borax Warm Water Combine borax and vinegar in spray bottle with warm water.
Scouring Powder 1 part Baking Soda or Borax 1 part Salt Mix in a shaker bottle (a used spice jar emptied and cleaned works well).
Scouring A little Elbow Grease Works wonders for tough stains on many surfaces especially toilets and sinks!
Drain Cleaner ¼ c. Borax down drain followed by 2 c. boiling water Or ¼ c Baking Soda down drain followed by ½ c. Vinegar let sit then follow with 2 qts boiling water
Oven Cleaner 1 c. Baking Soda 1/4 c. Washing Soda Mix both with enough water to make a paste. Apply to oven and allow to sit overnight. Rinse and wipe clean.
Wood Floor Cleaner Bucket of hot water 1 c. Vinegar 20 drops Essential Oils Combine all in a bucket and mop
Furniture Polish 1 c. Olive Oil 5 drops Essential Oils Combine in bottle with long neck tip and rub with soft cloth
A word about cleaning laundry and dishes with homemade cleaners: many find that they either LOVE or HATE these recipes, the very trick is adjusting the recipe or finding the right one for your style, liking, and hardness of water. You may need to adjust the amount of each ingredient, water, or usage amount to suit your situation. Additionally, they are not always cheaper until you find a recipe you like and make it in bulk. They are much better for us and our environment in either case. So here are some of the recipes we’ve gathered and like for your trying. Try very small batches of the recipes until you find one you like, then make large batches so you can buy the ingredients in bulk. The liquid handmade laundry soaps may be gooey or gel like and this is normal, just stir or shake prior to each use.
Laundry Soap #1- 1 Gallon Water 1/4 c. Washing Soda 1/4 c. Borax 1 T. Liquid Glycerin (optional) 1/4 Bar Soap grated (like Ivory, Fels-Naptha, or natural soap from our shop) In a large pot heat 1/2 the water to a low simmer, add the soap and stir until melted. Add the borax, washing soda, and liquid glycerin until dissolved. Pour hot soap mixture into a pail or empty laundry detergent container add the rest of the cold water and mix. Use 1/2 c. for each laundry load, mixing before each use.
Laundry Soap #2- 1 c. Vinegar 1 c. Baking Soda 1 c. Washing Soda 1/4 c. Liquid Castile Soap Combine and mix all ingredients. Place in an empty laundry detergent container. Use 1/4-1/2 c. per load mixing before each use.
Laundry Soap #3 Dry powder- 2 c. Baking Soda 2 c. Washing Soda 2 c. Bar Soap grated finely 3 c. Borax Mix all ingredients and store in a sealed bucket. Use 1/8 cup per load.
Laundry Booster- 1/2 c. Washing Soda or Baking Soda Reduce the amount of laundry detergent you need by adding soda to soften the water and boost the detergent’s effectiveness. For liquid detergents decrease the amount by 1/3 to 1/2 of normal dose and add 1/2 c. soda to the start of the wash. For powder detergents decrease the amount by 1/3 to 1/2 of normal dose and add 1/2 c. soda to the rinse cycle.
Bleach alternative- Borax or Hydrogen Peroxide Substitute borax dissolved in warm water or hydrogen peroxide in the same proportion you would use bleach.
Fabric Softener- 1 c. Vinegar 5-10 drops Essential Oils if desired. Mix and add to rinse cycle.
Dryer Sheets- Wash Cloth Pieces Few drops of Essential Oils Add desired amount of Essential Oils to a clean wash cloth (cut in pieces if desired) and add to dryer. This will give clothes a pleasant natural smell but won’t assist with static cling.
Dishwasher Detergent- 1 c. Borax 1/4 c. Salt 1 c. Washing Soda (increase by 1/2 - 1 c. for hard water) Mix all, add 1 T. to dispenser for each load. Then, for spot/film free rinse, add 1/2 - 1 c. vinegar to rinse cycle. Note: To periodically clean your dishwasher tub, run a cycle with just citric acid but no dishes or detergent.
Dish soap- Simply use Liquid Castile Soap, you can add Essential Oils to your liking, a favorite is Lavender. |
